EDIT: Euroka Campground. Mt. Solitary Traverse - 27/12

[DavidBW]

Hi,

Six of us are planning to do the Mt. Solitary traverse in the Blue Mountains for the first time on 27/12. We would like to exit through Kedumba River and Wentworth Falls, but were told we would need to know how to navigate. How difficult is it to navigate the Kedumba River/Wentworth Falls off-track walk?

We also plan to stay a night at Ingar Campground on Boxing Day. Does anyone know how busy it might be there?

Thanks,
David

[BenS]

Hi,

Six of us are planning to do the Mt. Solitary traverse in the Blue Mountains for the first time on 27/12. We would like to exit through Kedumba River and Wentworth Falls, but were told we would need to know how to navigate. How difficult is it to navigate the Kedumba River/Wentworth Falls off-track walk?

We also plan to stay a night at Ingar Campground on Boxing Day. Does anyone know how busy it might be there?

Thanks,
David

There is a pretty decent track which is easy enough to follow but it is possible to lose if not paying attention, particularly on the decent from the eastern edge of Mt Solitary (the Col). Its pretty remote if you do stray from the track and people have gotten lost out there (including a very sad fatalatity). Hence the ability to navigate is important in case you lose the track.

Having said that, its a wonderful walk and very doable for competent groups. Have fun

[tom_brennan]

What walks involving navigation have you done before? Also, when you say "exit through Kedumba River and Wentworth Falls", are you talking the route as described on my website? Or some other route? (There are many ways of getting to Wentworth Falls)
http://bushwalkingnsw.com/walk.php?nid=237

Also remember that Mt Solitary is probably not the ideal walk for mid summer. The next update of my website will have a note saying "Water can often be a problem on the summit. For this reason, and for the steep climbs each day, the walk is best done in the cooler months."

[DavidBW]

Thank you for your comments. We haven't done any walks involving navigation before. Are there specific classes that teach navigation or can we learn how to navigate intuitively?

Ah, yes, it's your website Tom. Do you have any 2-day walks to recommend? And do you know what the chances are for us to get campground spots on public holidays like Boxing Day?

[tom_brennan]

You can do courses on Navigation (eg http://climbingadventures.com.au/surviv ... on#surwild ), but you are probably better off joining a bushwalking club if you're looking to learn. There are many clubs. I'm a member of a few, but mainly walk with SBW (Sydney Bush Walkers) (http://sbw.org.au/). SBW runs regular navigation training (for new members - it's a prerequisite to becoming a full member) and navigation walks.

Orienteering and Rogaining are also good practical ways of learning navigation skills, though you do need to know some of the basic theory about maps & compasses.

There are also some useful online courses/information. These will give you the theory:
Ashley Burke - http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aburke/N ... ntents.htm
John Evans - http://www.johnevans.id.au/Pages/Map%20 ... gation.pdf
Geoscience Australia - http://sbw.org.au/images/Documents/GA%2 ... 0Guide.pdf

What sort of campground spots?

Mt Solitary is not too bad navigation-wise, though you do need to pay attention to the map and the direction you are travelling.

Blue Gum Forest would be OK as the tracks are pretty well signposted. But a steep climb out if it is a hot day.

[DavidBW]

We'd like to spend 26/12 at Ingar Campground in the Blue Mountains. Do you know how busy it gets on Boxing Day?

I own a pair of Keen sandals. Would they be OK during summer in the Blue Mountains, or would you still recommend boots? Also, would a sleeping pad, tent, and sleeping liner be OK to spend the night in, or are sleeping bags still necessary in the Blue Mountains?

Thanks for the information.

[DaveNoble]

Ingar can get pretty crowded. It is a nice place - good for camping and with a great swimming hole. But it is popular.

Better to walk in enclosed footwear, not sandals. Walking shoes or sneakers are fine in the Blue Mts.

I would take a light sleeping bag if you have one. Night temperatures can vary a lot. One night may be hot and humid, then next quite cold. Note that it has snowed in the Blue Mountains in summer (although this is rare). Mosquitoes can be a problem in places. The best thing is to check the weather forecast for Katoomba a few days before you go. Look at minimum and maximum temperatures forecast.

[DavidBW]

Thanks for the comment Dave. We'll try head over to Ingar early. Do you have any suggestions about what we can do if Ingar is full?

Where can we get a map of the trails from? And how much are they?

[DavidBW]

I came across your blog by chance while searching for advice about Mt Solitary walks, Dave. You seemed to have done the Mt Solitary walk many times. Do you have any suggestions for first-time walkers e.g. best place to camp, best routes in and out, etc.? We have 1 night to spend inside and have limited experience with navigation, but would like to exit the valley through a different way than the one we walked in on.

[DavidBW]

Thinking of spending a night at Euroka Campground in case Ingar is full. Does anyone know how many 2-person tents a site at Euroka can fit? It seems Redgum is the most popular, being booked out for the next couple of weeks. What's the reason for its popularity? And would you recommend an area other than Redgum in Euroka?

Also, how long is the drive from Euroka to Golden Staircase?

[tom_brennan]

Thinking of spending a night at Euroka Campground in case Ingar is full. Does anyone know how many 2-person tents a site at Euroka can fit? It seems Redgum is the most popular, being booked out for the next couple of weeks. What's the reason for its popularity? And would you recommend an area other than Redgum in Euroka?

It's December holidays - any formal campground is going to be busy from now, probably until late Jan.

You can always just throw up a tent on Narrow Neck for the night. There are various places you could camp near your vehicle. No facilities, but you can drive into Katoomba for breakfast and bathroom. There are also plenty of other fire trails where you could drive to the end and either camp, or walk a short distance and camp.

Also, how long is the drive from Euroka to Golden Staircase?

https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/Euro ... 8714?hl=en

[DavidBW]

Thanks for your advice Tom. Do you have any informal camping sites to suggest? Preferably not too far from Golden Stairs/Narrow Neck.

[tom_brennan]

At the locked gate, if there's room. Otherwise keep an eye out along the way.

[DavidBW]

Where abouts is the locked gate? On the mt solitary trail?

[jonnosan]

Where abouts is the locked gate? On the mt solitary trail?

it's a few hundred metres further along the firetrail than the golden stairs - here's a map http://goo.gl/4sxR4f

[DavidBW]

Thanks for the advice. Is the fire trail easy to spot? And do you know where I can get a trail map of the Blue Mountains?

Do trekking poles help ease the walk to Mount Solitary?

[jackattack]

How did you go DavidBW

[DavidBW]

We (a group of 5) started at Golden Stairs and the walk to Ruined Castle was pretty straightforward. Although if it wasn’t for all the people there we may have missed Ruined Castle.

The walk from Ruined Castle to Chinaman’s Gully or Singaingawell Creek (our two camp site options, depending on how we went for time) got a bit confusing around Koorowall Knife Edge as the trail became less distinct. We went off trail a few times but the markers helped us get back on track. We saw a few camp sites on the way to the peak of Mt Solitary but weren’t sure if they were part of Chinaman’s Gully or Singaingawell Creek. Signposts would have been helpful.

In the end we inadvertently walked a bit past the highest point of Mt Solitary. Luckily we saw 2 other walkers and they informed us of where we were and directed us to a few camp sites nearby where we stayed the night. I should mention that we could only find still water in a nearby dried up creek.

The next day we headed back to Golden Stairs using the same trail we walked in on.

It was a quiet walk. We had the camping area to ourselves and apart from the 2 walkers who helped us, we didn’t see anyone else past Ruined Castle.

[jackattack]

Thankyou for the trip report.